1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system wherein data expressing a character, a pattern or the like in a dot form (hereinbelow, termed "bit map data") is generated from outline information expressing the outline of the character, the pattern or the like in a vector form (hereinbelow, termed "vector data"), and wherein the bit map data is printed out by an output engine such as a laser printer (hereinbelow, abbreviated to "LP") or thermal transfer printer (hereinbelow, abbreviated to ("TTP").
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been a character/pattern generator which generates data expressive of the shape of a character or a pattern to be printed out by an output engine. With the character/pattern generator, bit map data is generated from vector data expressive of the outline of the character or the like and is stored in a built-in memory, and the bit map data stored in the built-in memory is transferred externally.
On this occasion, the vector data can be subjected to coordinate transformations such as enlargement, reduction, italicization or inclination, and rotation.
In addition, in a case where the bit map data to be generated has a size larger than the storage capacity of the built-in memory, the region of the vector data is divided into a few subregions, and bit map data items are generated from individual vector data items in the respective subregions and are transferred externally.
On this occasion, the division of the region into the subregions is done by a CPU. More specifically, the vector data is divided into the data transfer unit of the built-in memory (for example, into word units) in only the X direction of X-Y coordinates, or it is divided in any desired integral unit (in bit units) in both the X and Y directions of the X-Y coordinates.
Besides, in externally transferring the bit map data stored in the built-in memory, addresses are updated by being merely incremented. In general, the destination of the transfer is an external memory. After having been transferred to the external memory, the bit map data is further transferred to the output engine by the CPU.
With the prior art stated above, the coordinate transformations are always performed by executing calculations in predetermined forms. Therefore, it has not been considered to extensively apply the character/pattern generator to output engines whose address allocations are different from the address allocation of the built-in memory. This has led to the problem of narrow application.
Further, with the prior art, the bit map data stored in the built-in memory is externally transferred while the addresses are being incremented. Therefore, the bit map data left intact cannot be transferred to an output engine whose address allocation is different from the address allocation of the built-in memory. In other words, the application of the character/pattern generator to the output engine having the different address allocation scheme is not taken into consideration. This has also led to the problem of narrow application.
Still further, it is not considered in the prior art that, when the region of the vector data has been divided into the several subregions in any desired integral unit (in bit units) other than in the data transfer unit of the built-in memory (for example, in word units), in both the X and Y directions, a blank part containing no data appears within a word in the operation of transferring the bit map data stored in the built-in memory. This has led to the problem that several processes are required for deleting the blank part.
In this manner, with the prior art, the designs needs of character/pattern generators must be respectively different in accordance with the address allocations of output engines, and an information processing system which contains a single character/pattern generator cannot include various output engines of different address allocations.